Archive for February 7th, 2006

Key Takeaways: With his own brand of aesthetic, the Malaysian designer brings forth a “fur”-ocious collection of femme fatale garments that are perfect for work, cocktail parties and sexy espionage.

Color Palette: The foundation of solid blacks and grays is touched with icy blues and pinks.

Silhouettes: The blacks and grays are easily trace the lines of the female figure, but Toi’s remarkable tailoring skills give an extra dimension of feminine supremacy. The sleek matrix style contains variations of basic black by utilizing plaids in pant suits. Toi’s dresses and skirts are flattered with wispy empire waists that give maternal sensuality. All styles outline curves and give clean looks suitable for professionals and socialites alike.

Accessories Report: Although PETA might get their vegan cotton in a wad, fur is top-notch this season. Toi brings back the lost art of the mink stole with a monstrous addition to his pant suits. Wide belts add subtle panache to monochromatic suits. In addition, envelope clutches add a classy touch to much of his evening wear.

What’s Wearable: Toi gives justice to the polar extremes that involve women: the immaculate and the confident. The detailing work on many of his garments is magnificent. From his majestically sexy red carpet evening wear to his luxurious pant suits, each garment brings something to the table. Out of the two, the double breasted pant suits flatter to a "T" and go with the ongoing fall theme of the “powerful working woman.” Toi also manages to throw in a couple of menswear pieces that are just as fine as his women’s wear.

What’s Not Wearable: Fur is fun, but from a functionality standpoint, the potential excess shedding can cause problems with Toi’s black color palette.

Key Takeaways: Kit Willow’s Fall 2006 collection was very much in line with the overall trends we’ve been seeing: high waistlines, belted styles, layering dresses over turtlenecks, Huge collars, and voluminous shapes.

Key Takeaways: This Marc Jacobs gal is no sissy. She’s a vagabond, a gypsy, a free and sometimes dark spirit. She does not care what anyone thinks of her and she carries the essentials in her closet on her body. She’s not afraid to wear her boyfriend’s shirt, sweater, or trousers for that matter, and she’ll rock it outside of the house with no shame. But don’t get her wrong, she still likes to wear a dress—as long as it’s not your average Oscar gown.

What’s Wearable: This collection needs a whole lotta toning down in order to wear. Even if you’re going to wear the baggy pieces, you need to pair them with less dramatic articles.

What’s Not Wearable: Some of the dramatically loose items, like a flannel boat neck shirt and an overly huge cropped trench coat, are not suitable for the streets. We also don’t recommend gigantic furry hats.

Last week, Target launched a stylishly priced (e.g. cheap!) line of women’s clothing and accessories designed by British designer Luella Bartley. Very cute stuff overall, and the pieces definitely have the markings of Luella’s British eclecticism. But get them while you can—the line is only in stores for 90 days!

Silhouettes: Tops were fitted, though some included voluminous sleeve treatments. Bottoms were mixed–some were slim cut, others were baggy, and others Dresses were a mix of girly and ladylike. Jackets and sweaters were mainly worn cropped, following the trend of the last few seasons.

Key Takeaways: For better or for worse, the Lacoste show was reminiscent of a preppy hipster whacked out on street style. Key trends included (1) Sweaterdresses, (2) Tights, (3) The elbow-length glove, (4) Sporty Stripes (what’d you expect from Lacoste?), (5) Shearling for both women and men, (6) Miniskirts, and (7) Mod-style colorblocking.

Color Palette: Turquoise, Purple, Pinks, Browns, Oranges, Reds, and a Harvest Gold, on a black, white, and beige palette. Fabrics were mostly solid, though some stripes and plaids were thrown in for good measure.

Accessories Report: For women: Tiered puffy boots (bizarre), bucket hats (some with two-piece brims), and the everpresent long glove. Men sported caps, fedoras, pseudo-bucket hats, and Giant Nerd Glasses. Both men and women wore lanyard-style keychains around their necks. Ahh…it brings us back to our college days.

What’s Wearable: It’s Lacoste, so there were a multitude of wearable styles. While the individual pieces weren’t groundbreaking, we appreciated the work of the stylist who layered the clothes on the models. We found the sweater-on-top-of-polo look to be particularly preppy-cute.

What’s Not Wearable: Well, we’ve never been fans of Uggs, so those tiered puffy boots were a no-go for us. Watch out for the intense colorblocking as well, lest you appear to be colorblind.Want more fun with Fashion Week? Check out Omiru’s mid-week trend recap.

We’re only halfway through fashion week, but we
thought we’d start recapping some of the big trends we’ve been seeing
over and over again:

A
few other trends we’re seeing popping up are shearling, tie-neck and
tie-waist garments, and sweaterdresses. Bows, cardigans, bermudas,
trenchcoats, cropped styles, and waist emphasis all continue from
Spring 2006.

Key Takeaways: With a strikingly provocative collection that looks like it tells a story about a "gothinatrix” society girl living in 2099, the avant-garde Brazilian designer pushes the envelope with pieces that exude menacing femininity.

Color Palette: Pale pinks, greens and peaches are deflected off of glossy blacks and grays.

Silhouettes: Despite the stylishly girly morbid feel of the pieces, there is flattering focus on femininity. Cinched waists give a wasp-like appearance to the female form. In contrast, Herchcovitch shows whimsical pod-like dresses and skirts with interesting cuts that do not seem to praise the body.

Accessories Report: Thick belts with buckles adorned with skulls contribute to the Goth appearance of the collection, while head wraps provide a futuristic feel of ethnicity. The usage of buttons on the pants and jackets (whether functional or not) is a nice touch.

What’s Wearable: The combining of the feminine floral with the textural modernity of the darks is a very bold gesture, but it works. Overall the color palette is very Spring-like but the warmness from makes them suitable for fall (the greens confidently stand out.) The sci-fi couture coats, although a bit conceptual, are unbelievably exquisite. The skirts and dresses with different cuts are tailored beautifully and the sailor-style are something to keep your eye out for this season.

What’s Not Wearable: The buddy band head wrap looks as if it were purchased from a B-list celebrity of off an infomercial. Although it pulls some of the outfits together, it gives the pieces a stoic look that makes them look uncomfortable and constrictive. In addition, the floral long coat was like a kaleidoscopic seizure, making it really hard on the eyes.